Quarantine
by Lux1
Summary: Post "Lockdown" Carby Fluff and group fun. (Re-vamped chapter one!)


Title: Quarantine Author: Lux (Cecilia to those who actually know me) Rating: PG-13 Category: Carby, of course. :o) Summary: Post "Lockdown". It picks up where the eppy left off. Carter and Abby have some moments together and the ER gang hears some good gossip. Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing pertaining to ER. I'm just borrowing it, dabbling if you will. :o) Author's notes: This fic is actually based completely on a dream that I had the night of the season finale. I think I've taken Carby obsession to a whole new level. It plagues me even in my sleep. LOL. So anyway, if something doesn't make sense, take into account that this was created when I was unconscious.  
  
Chapter One: "Only Half-Serious"  
  
Abby's hand slowly slid over Carter's shoulder as they both stepped forward into the kiss, deepening it. Their hands began to roam they became lost in each other, lost in the moment. Everything else faded away and the air around them hung silently. At least for a few minutes it did.  
  
Carter and Abby jumped apart suddenly when a loud SMACK! was made against the glass window of the door. Their heads whipped to the side only to be met with the sight of a contagion-mask wearing Ramano standing in the hallway. He held a piece of paper against the window with the words "Save the porno for home" scribbled across it.  
  
Abby and Carter had the decency to at least look a little ashamed as Romano stalked away, placing his none-too-subtle message on top of the pile of papers he held.  
  
Carter turned his attention back to Abby and immediately saw a small smile forming on her lips. He attempted to give her a disapproving look but failed miserably and ended up smiling.  
  
Abby shrugged. "It could have been worse."  
  
Carter sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "How?"  
  
"Weaver could have been with him and we could've been missing articles of clothing." She supplied facetiously.  
  
"That actually sounds like a good idea." Carter paused. "Not the Weaver part."  
  
Abby laughed. "Obviously."  
  
"I just meant that I'm gonna take one of my shirts off."  
  
Abby looked at Carter speculatively. "Why are you wearing two shirts, anyway?"  
  
He shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I've forgotten in all the heat stroke."  
  
Abby reached out to pull both his shirts up so he could take the bottom one off. "Here, let me help you."  
  
Carter chuckled as Abby yanked the shirts over his head.  
  
He placed a hand over his bare chest and feigned shock at her actions. "My God, woman. 'Bend over, Carter. Take your clothes off, Carter.' Will you ever just buy me dinner?"  
  
Abby laughed again and handed Carter his scrub shirt so he could put it back on.  
  
"Hurry and cover yourself before I loose control." She said in her driest tone, but her face clearly showed signs of a smile forming.  
  
Carter's voice was muffled as he pulled the shirt over his head. "To be perfectly honest, I feel my virtue has already been compromised at this point."  
  
Carter returned to his seated position on the gurney and Abby stepped forward towards him. She reached up to press her hands on top of Carter's now seriously mussed hair.  
  
Abby got an adorably confounded look on her face as she tried to push down bits of hair that were standing straight up. "Your hair. is all. fluffy."  
  
Carter looked up at Abby's concentrating face and slowly reached up and grabbed her hands, pulling them down to rest by their sides. Oh boy, he was giving her 'that look' again.  
  
Carter softly cleared his throat. "You want to go out to dinner sometime. you know, after we get out of here?"  
  
The corner of Abby's mouth curved up into a smile and she took a moment to relish in the way Carter was looking at her before responding.  
  
"I'd like that."  
  
Carter smiled back and slowly leaned forward to kiss her once again. This kiss was just as tender and wanting as the first two, but slightly less timid. The air around them crackled just the same, but their body language showed the increase of their comfort level. This felt right. It felt good, and it felt right.  
  
They slowly pulled their mouths apart and stood holding each other for a few moments. Abby leaned up and placed a small kiss on the edge of Carter's lips before completely leaving his embrace, unclasping their hands as she stepped away.  
  
She quirked a smile at him. "I'll leave you and your fluttering virtue in here while I go check on Adam."  
  
Carter smiled warmly at Abby as she retreated into the adjoining room. The doors swung shut behind her and it took all of Carter's restraint to keep himself from doing a happy dance.  
  
~``~``~``~``~``~``~``~  
  
Robert Romano swiftly made his way down the ER hallways, sniffing in disgust at the disorder of everything.  
  
While Carter's frantic (and obviously unnecessary) phone call to him had played a small part in Romano's insistence that he be let down to the first floor of the hospital, he mostly wanted to come down just so he could make sure that the whole place didn't go up in flames.  
  
Susan looked up from the computer in front of her and saw the short, angry, bald man headed their way. She reached out and nudged Jerry's arm to get his attention.  
  
Jerry turned to look at Susan who said in her 'please shoot me now' voice, "Just when you think the day can't get any worse."  
  
Romano strolled into the reception area. "Well, if it isn't the trusty dusty ER staff. Scandals. outbreaks. riots... We can always count on you guys to deliver."  
  
Jerry and Malik joined Susan in her distressed eye-rolling while Gallant just stood there looking curious but innocent. He's good at that.  
  
Susan gave her most phony smile and in obvious false politeness asked, "Something I can help you with, Dr. Romano?"  
  
Romano didn't bother to look up while he riffled through some papers with his one empty hand. "Doubtful."  
  
Malik rolled his eyes behind Romano's back before stepping around him to grab his Sprite off the desk. He was about to walk over towards Gallant when he caught sight of Romano's clipboard.  
  
Malik cluelessly began reading out-loud. "Save the porno for home."  
  
Everyone turned to look at him. He, in turn, looked at Romano.  
  
Gallant stuttered, "What did you just say?"  
  
Malik nodded his head at Romano's note and Susan, Gallant, and Jerry all leaned in to read it. Susan's eyebrows raised as she looked up her superior.  
  
"Dare I ask?"  
  
Romano gave a half shrug. He figured that half-effort was all they really deserved. "Some one was crying wolf and I made the mistake of responding. I sweat blood and tears to get down here and I find a couple of your staff members groping when they should be working."  
  
Malik's mouth dropped open. "Hudda-what?"  
  
Nodding, Jerry said, "I second that."  
  
Even Susan was lost. For smart people they seem to be having trouble keeping up. "What are you talking about? Who was groping?"  
  
Romano continued to busy himself but answered them nonetheless. "Who do you think? The illustrious Dr. Carter and his favorite little nurse."  
  
Jerry yelped, "Abby?!"  
  
Malik spit out his soda, narrowly missing Gallant who quickly jumped out of the way.  
  
Susan laughed at them and looked back at Romano with a big goofy smile on her face. She was having no trouble following things now. It was about time Carter made a move.  
  
With a morbidly curious smile, Susan pointed her finger at the paper and asked, "So what did you do with that?"  
  
Luka, having heard Jerry call out his ex-girlfriends name, walked up the group and leaned around Romano to see what Susan was pointing at.  
  
Romano looked up at her as he replied this time. "Slammed it up against the window. Don't get me wrong, she's cute and all, but an ER quarantine isn't exactly the best place for Dr. Carter to be shoving his tongue down her throat."  
  
Malik coughed rather conspicuously and everyone's eyes nervously shifted to Dr. Kovac. Well, everyone's but Romano's.  
  
Luka glanced at the four people looking at him and mumbled something about a missing chart before walking away.  
  
Gallant's eyes were sympathetic as he starred at Luka's retreating form. "Well that can't be good."  
  
Romano looked at the Med student. "Am I missing something? Pretend I care."  
  
Jerry cringed dramatically. "Uh, you might want to avoid talking about Abby kissing Carter when her recent ex-boyfriend is standing right there." (You just know Jerry's up on all the gossip.)  
  
Romano turned around to look at Dr. Kovac who was fiddling with a filing cabinet just out of hearing range. He turned back to the group and shrugged again.  
  
"Well how the hell was I supposed to know? Everybody sleeps with everybody down here. It's like damn Dawson's Creek. You guys just keep passing each other around, switching sex buddies like most people switch shampoos. It's a wonder this place isn't one big walking, talking STD."  
  
Romano grabbed a few files off the desk and added it to his pile, burying the 'porno note'. He looked towards the front doors and spotted the chief coordinator of decease control.  
  
Romano managed to look down on his companions despite the height advantage they all held over him. "Now, excuse me while I go and talk to someone who actually matters."  
  
The four co-workers glared at their boss as he strutted away, still wearing his protective mask.  
  
They turned back to look at each other and Malik and Jerry shared bemused smiles.  
  
Malik whistled lightly. "So, Carter and Abby, huh? You know, I was only half-serious when I told them to kiss and make up."  
  
Gallant chuckled and turned to look at Susan who he noticed was curling a strand of hair between her fingers.  
  
Her eyes were starring off into the distance as she sadly mumbled, "I've been using the same shampoo brand for six years."  
  
-  
  
There's still more that happened in my dream but I'm not sure that I'm gonna write it out. I guess if enough people want me to, I will. Thanks for reading and I'd really appreciate any sort of review you could give me. Except I'd prefer no flames. I'm kinda fragile. :o)  
  
-  
  
New Post Scriptum: 9/10/02 I hope you all liked my new version of chapter one. If not, tell me why so I can fix it. :o) I'm sorry I haven't posted a continuance of this story yet despite the MANY reviews (many INCREDIBLE reviews) but I just got side tracked. But fear not, I finally started writing chapter two and it should be up shortly. Thank you so much to EVERYONE who reviewed so far. I can't tell you how much your words meant to me. Especially you, Karen Murray, I read the review you wrote on your website and I really don't think I've ever felt so flattered. Thank you. And thanks also to Inkstain for not only writing a beautiful fic that I really enjoyed, but also for taking the time to track me down and thank me for my babbling praises on top of R and Ring 'Quarantine'. Really, if I could list everyone I would, but there are sixty of you so far! But thanks! Chapter two is being written for you at this very moment! :o)  
  
And to answer the question of the moment: Why, yes, I *do* have a miniature Romano in my pocket which I use to write all of his dialogue. How else could I be that crass and sarcastic? ::Cecilia pats Mini Romano on the head proudly:: 


End file.
